Fuck is right, and the fact that it’s not the name which we knew of her explains why we couldn’t find out much about her to start with.
“Does this mean that her uncle is actually…her dad?” Loki asks, and I tear my gaze away from the page to look at him, his tired eyes brighter than they’ve been in weeks, his brow furrowed with confusion.
“I think so,” Kai responds, and I turn to look at him.
“And if Ace is Adrian…” I start, the pieces slotting into place, though I still can’t believe that we may have a lead. I don’t trust it. How can I if it turns out to be another dead end. Another split in my soul. Another rupture of my heart.
“Then he has Lilly,” Jax growls out next to me, and the beast inside me purrs at the violence in his tone.
“Well, what the fuck are we waiting for?!” Loki shouts, looking like he’s ready to swim to England right the fuck now if he needs to.
“Wait, we can’t just go rushing in.” I throw my hand out, my palm landing against his chest to stop him from leaving.
“Why the hell not?” Jax rumbles from my other side, and I can feel him practically vibrating with anger.
“Because there is a good chance that my shitstain of a father is involved, and we don’t want him to do anything rash,” I grit out, a headache beginning to form behind my eyes. I reach a hand up and pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to think of a way forward. “Plus, we have no idea if Ace–Adrian even has her. Yes, it’s sketchy as fuck, but we can’t just storm in and torture him if he’s innocent.” I shiver as Jax looks at me with dead eyes, like his humanity has fled and all that’s left is the monster within. “She wouldn’t want you to, Jax.”
He blinks, and just like that joins the rest of us with our gray moral compasses.
“We need eyes on her first, to confirm that she is there to begin with,” I continue, my mind racing.
I snap my head up and lock eyes with Kai, knowing that he just had the same idea I did if the twinkle in his amber orbs is anything to go by.
“Willow,” he murmurs, and I nod.
“The Shadows,” I reply, starting to think aloud. “We’ll owe them a favor.”
“I’ll give them anything bar Lilly and my firstborn,” Loki states, voice clear, and my stare leaves Kai’s to look at my redheaded brother. There’s a rod of steel in his green eyes that I’ve not seen before, a pledge that tells me he’s not messing around. My hand alights back on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“We’re all in agreement then? We contact Hunter and The Shadows?” I ask, looking from Loki, to Kai, and finally Jax. The latter hesitates for a few seconds, and I can see the need to burn down the world to save our girl in the blazing cold fire in his blue eyes.
“But if they can’t find anything by Friday, I’ll go to England and get the information myself,” he tells me, his lips twitching with an evil smirk that makes me glad I’m not at the receiving end of his information-gathering.
“Deal. We’ll all go,” I assure him, copying his nod of agreement.
“Right,” Loki interrupts the serious moment, and I know that whatever will leave his lips next would have our girl glaring at him. My dick twitches at the thought. “Let’s go get our girl back so we can spank her ass for being such a naughty girl and leaving us with blue balls for this long.”
A bark of laughter leaves me at how indignant she’d be to hear that the worst part of her kidnap was its effect on our balls. I know that Loki is just deflecting, using humor to cover his worry at what our girl is going through without us at her side.
As we turn to go, Kai and I in front, I hear a sharp slap and Loki’s protest behind me. My lips split into a grin at the sound.
“What the fuck was that for?” he asks Jax in a disgruntled voice.
“Disrespecting Baby Girl,” Jax replies, and although Loki grumbles, he doesn’t argue with the big guy.
“Don’t worry, Jax,” Kai says as we leave the dorm, walking down the hall towards Willow’s. “By the time we finish telling Lilly about what Loki said, his balls will be frozen solid before she’ll touch them again.”
Jax, Kai, and I laugh then, and even Loki gives a little chuckle. The sound lightens something in my heart, perhaps healing a small fracture too. We may not have much to go on, but it’s more than we had this morning. It’s a start, and for now, it’ll have to be enough.
Just hold on, Princess. We’ll find you.
CHAPTERTWO
LILLY
After a night plagued with visions of shadow men and swirling lights, I prise open my eyes, which are stuck together with sleep dust, to soft daylight that filters through the gaps in the wooden shutters. Groaning, my head thumping again, I look around and jump when I see a middle-aged woman waiting a little way away, a soft smile on her face.
“Sorry to startle you, dear, especially in your condition,” she says, her voice gentle, and although I’ve never met her before, she puts me at ease instantly with her calming vibe. “I’m Jacky, and I’m going to be your nurse and midwife from now on.”